


The Zander and Kordi chronicles: or the care and keeping of your little brother who happens to be a Jedi in training

by amanmangor



Category: LEGO Star Wars - All Media Types, LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Episode Tag, Family Dynamics, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26907379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amanmangor/pseuds/amanmangor
Summary: Kordi and Zander have THOUGHTS on various episodes of the series, more specifically how they keep a walking disaster like Rowan safe as he trains to be a Jedi and a galaxy saving hero.I just love this space family and their dynamic and if no one else is willing to explore that, I will, even if no one reads it.
Comments: 49
Kudos: 17





	1. A Hero discovered, or Kordi has...concerns

Kordi was no stranger to fear.

Duh, right?

She and her siblings lived in probably the literal definition of an evil empire where a brick out of place could get you sent to the spice mines of kesel. Add to that a struggling business, an airlock happy landlord, an idiot older brother and, worst of all, a little brother with a knack for trouble and a lack of focus, and yeah, fear was an annoying neighbor in Kordi's life: inconvenient, but always around.

It was easier to accept it and work around it. The Freemakers had lived a, if not happy, at least stable lifestyle for almost five years, but of course, the universe decided that life had been too comfortable for the freemakers lately and sent Naare.

It had been a bit of a day, salvaging in the middle of a battle (which was still totally Zander's fault), almost being evicted, stumbling onto an imperial operation, and nearly being arrested, all of which sucked, but was still preferable to Rowan finding out that he had amazing abilities or whatever.

Even better, these "amazing abilities" meant that her little brother was the only thing that could stop the same evil empire that Kordi had worked so hard to avoid. And Rowan, being Rowan was super eager to become part of an extinct organization that had all been brutally murdered by that same empire.

Well, almost all, if Naare was telling the truth about being a Jedi. She certainly had the lightsword thingy. And her trick with Furlacc was clearly not ordinary (Seriously, if Rowen could learn how to do that, they'd be set for life), but Kordi couldn't shake the bad feeling in her stomach.

Later that night, once Rowan had gone to bed, she had tried to talk to Zander.

"Seriously, you don't think it's strange that out of all the planets in the galaxy, we just happen to find the one with a hidden Jedi who's been in hiding for who knows how long? I'm just saying something seems fishy"

Zander shrugged, "The force works in mysterious ways, you remember what mom said."

Oh yes, Kordi remembered. She remembered her mom's stories about the all-powerful force and the brave and noble Jedi who roamed the galaxy. She also remembered the exact moment that she learned that they were all killed.

She told her dad that she wanted to be a Jedi and he gave her a look. And then Kordi noticed that these all powerful Jedi, were gone with only stories and legends left behind. She had even tried to ask mom what happened to them, she didn’t answer, but her silence was enough confirmation to Kordi. They were gone. How all powerful could they really have been, if they could all just be.... wiped out?

Except for one apparently, and in true Freeemaker fashion, she and her siblings managed to stumble out and find her. Fan-freaking tastic.


	2. The Mines of Graballa, or Kordi wonders why she even bothers

Well, Naare had only been 'training' Rowan for like two weeks and he already was nearly killed on this dumb quest.

Kordi called it. She may not have any magic Jedi powers, but she knew she could trust her gut. And for whatever reason, Kordi's gut just screamed that Naare was bad news. She had said from the start that having Naare around would only lead to trouble, even if it was fun to watch her lose her temper like a toddler and she knew how to brainwipe the landlord. She said so, but no absolutely no one in this shop listened to her. It was enough to make her wonder why she even bothered.

Like today, for instance, She said no to the dangerous trip to an asteroid field because she was a responsible older sister/caregiver. Naare could argue all she wanted about destiny and fate and saving the galaxy; she wasn't going to let Rowan risk his neck, at least not more than he already did by existing as a walking hazard. Kordi wasn't able to stop Rowan from training, but she could stop him from leaving home with only the supposed Jedi protecting him.

Or so Kordi thought. Rowan had the audacity to leave without anyone protecting him. Ok, R0-GR was with him, but he barely counted. The days of R0-GR being able to protect Rowan from himself were tragically long gone. Finding both of them hanging above the mouth of a dangerous monster just proved it.

Kordi still maintained that Rown wouldn't have been able to get away if Naare hadn't distracted her with her nonsense. Naare seemed to be under the mistaken impression that Kordi was like the rest of her family. On the contrary, she did not care about some far off destiny or saving the galaxy or anything like that. All Kordi wanted was her family to be happy, rich, and most importantly, alive.

And then, Naare had the nerve to try to do that mid-trick thing. If it was Zander, she would understand, but her? Absolutely not. It just showed that Jedi or not, Naare was too obsessed with her galaxy saving, destiny force gibberish to see what was right in front of her. No way was Kordi leaving her brother's life in the hands of a crackpot like that.

Of course, perhaps deliberately provoking a powerful warrior was "a bad idea," but what was Naare going to do, crush them between two asteroids? She was dangerous, but not a 'kill them all' sort of way. More like, say, for instance, convincing her brother that it was a good idea to go to an asteroid belt practically on his own, nearly getting killed and/or captured in the process, forcing his two older siblings to come to the rescue, and they also almost die sort of way.

For Naare's sake and Kordi's sanity, it was a good thing that Rowan wasn't hurt. Kordi wouldn't lie though, she almost wished Rowan was a little shaken. Maybe then he would listen when she said something was too dangerous.

Of course, Kordi didn't want her brother hurt, but he needed to know he wasn't invincible. He almost died. If she and Zander hadn't arrived just in time...

Kordi shuddered and tried to shake the thought out of her mind. Rowan was very grounded for at least the next two weeks. She had even tried to ban Jedi training, but Zander had to pipe up that Naare had saved their lives, and it wasn't fair, and the fate of the galaxy, and blah blah.

Kordi wanted to argue that Naare may have saved their lives, but she was also the reason they were in trouble in the first place. Instead, she saved her blood pressure and just let it go, for now. It was an argument she just wouldn't win, even though she was right.

Naare didn't even seem to care that Rowan was safe. She only wanted the stupid Kyber crystals. The crackpot would just have to wait because Kordi wasn't letting Rowan go off anywhere on his own again.

The little unhelpful voice inside her head said that was assuming he gave her a choice. Today showed that was no longer a guarantee. Kordi would just have to add that to the ever-growing list things to worry about.


	3. Zander's Joyride, or it was at that moment Zander knew he messed up.

Zander loved three things more than anything else in the world: His family, Becky Smoochenbacher, and starships. Those things almost never conflicted. Becky had no idea he existed and his family business was starships.

So most days, it worked out that Zander did what he loved and supported his family at the same time. Yes, he wanted to spend more time flying than fixing them, but he could usually keep his impulses in check.

The keyword was usually. Today was not one of those days. But come on! It was an N-1 starship! What was he supposed to do? Just ignore it? Impossible. The second he found out it was in the shop, he had to fly it. And once he flew it, he had to zip around and test its speed. Which, yes, did lead to him accidentally becoming involved in a space battle. Which, maybe accidentally led to his arrest and accused of being a rebel. So while it might be fair to say it wasn't one of his better days, Zander maintained it wasn't entirely his fault.

Kordi was livid. After she talked Wit-Cooper down from suing them, she stormed off.

Zander knew better than to try to talk to her right away, but by evening she still wasn't cooled off. Zander knew he had to try to apologize. He knocked on her door.

"Go away!"

"But I want to-"

"Don't care. Leave."

Zander thought about it. He could leave, but if Kordi was this mad, she might never talk to him again. So he resorted to the big guns and went to Rowan.

"Please Rowan. I can't apologize if she won't open the door."

"Well," Rowan hesitated, "if you think it'll work."

"Of course it will! Let's go!"

Zander followed behind Rowan as they went to Kordi's door.

  
Rowan called out, "Hey Kordi?"

"What Rowan?"

"Um," Rowan said, "I think I lost the credit box."

"You what!"

The door swished open and Kordi burst out.

"How could-?" She cut herself short when she saw Zander. The door started to close, but Zander snuck in before it closed.

Kordi turned away from him.

"Get out." Yep, still mad.

"Just let me apologize!"

"Is your apology going to pay rent?"

"Well, no. But-"

"Is your apology going to bring back Whit Cooper and his money?"

"No-"

"Is your apology going to unarrest you?"

"No-"

"Is your-"

"I get it Kordi!"

"Do you? Do you really? Because the way I see it, you put us all in danger over a stupid Ship"

Despite himself, Zander felt his temper flare.

"The N-1 is not just some stupid ship!"

"Was it worth risking all of our lives?"

"It all worked out-"

"Oh yeah? What if Imperial soldiers show up to arrest you tomorrow?"

"We tell the truth, it worked-"

"And if they see Rowan? Or Naare? Or find out about the Kyber Crystals?"

Zander shut up. He hadn't thought of that.

"So, no, you don't 'get it'. You've put us all in danger and you don't care!"

Zander reeled back like he'd been slapped in the face.

"Kordi, how can you... of course I care-"

"Then act like it."

With that, she pushed him out and slammed the door. Zander stood too stunned to move for a long time.

He finally walked away and ran into Rowan.

"What happened? Is she still mad?" At his brother's hopeful face, Zander nearly lied. But still, Zander remembered what it was like to be twelve and told that everything was going to be fine when it so obviously wasn't. Rowan deserved better.

"No, she's still mad. Thanks for trying." Zander ruffled his hair and tried to usher Rowan off to bed. Rowan wouldn't give up though.

"What if I talk to her?"

"Not tonight. Kordi's not in a listening mood."

"Is she ever?" Rowan pointed out.

Zander shrugged. "Occasionally." Maybe on a day where she hadn't spent all day cleaning up her older brother's messes, or when she wouldn't spend the next week watching for imperial stormtroopers on their doorstep. Or maybe she'd never forgive him at all. Maybe she would be mad forever.

At the moment, Zander looked at his brother and thought about what Kordi said. Maybe, at this moment, Zander felt like he would deserve it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This episode is such a weird one. I hope Zander's is in character. Thanks to everyone who's reading and a special shoutout to LapisLazuli939 for commenting on every chapter. I hope you enjoy!


	4. The Lost Treasure of Cloud City, or Zander and Kordi recover from their brother's near kidnapping and maybe stop arguing?

On the bright side, he had been right. Rowan did laugh when Zander told him the full story of the carbonite chamber. Kordi didn't, of course, but even if she hadn't still been mad at him, she wouldn't. Zander was just lucky the job paid well. Kordi was too busy budgeting the credits to yell at him.

So why had he woken up in the middle of the night, sweating and shaking from a dream he didn't quite recall? Everything turned out fine. They successfully got out of Cloud city, got paid, and Rowan even used the force! After nearly being kidnapped by a Hutt because he was frozen in Carbonite by his big brother, who should be protecting him. Oh, maybe that was it.  
  
His dream slowly came back to him. Zander stumbled out of his bed and over to Rowan's room, just to remind himself that his little brother was still there. Zander took one shaky breath after another, each one steadier than the one before. Rowan was in bed, safe and sound. He wasn't arrested, he wasn't a captive of a Hutt, he hadn't disappeared without a trace after promising to come back. Rowan was right here, where he should be, safe at home with them.  
  
Zander tried not to worry about Rowan too much. Kordi was protective enough for both of them. In fact, some might even say she was "overprotective," but Zander was smarter than to say that to her face. Or within her earshot. Or to anyone. Or even think it really because Zander wouldn't put it past Kordi to learn how to read minds.  
  
Wait, what was he thinking about? Oh, right, Rowan. Rowan didn't need two siblings trying to protect him from everything. Zander appreciated Kordi, and he knew they would never make it without her. Sometimes she forgot Rowan wasn't a baby anymore. He was growing up, and before long, he would be running around the Lower Ring, watching pod races, working jobs, and, well, in Rowan's case, saving the galaxy.  
  
Because that was the other thing, wasn't it? Even if Zander agreed with Kordi and wrapped Rowan in a protective bubble until the end of time, Rowan could use the force. According to Naare, he had a destiny. A force-related, mystical, galaxy-saving destiny that was bigger than Kordi or Zander could imagine.  
  
So, what did that mean for the Freemakers? Zander still didn't know exactly, but Freemakers flew together. Whatever crazy Force destiny was waiting for Rowan, Zander would be there every step of the way. (Whatever Kordi grumbled about, he knew she would be too, probably).

  
But then again, without Zander there, Rowan probably wouldn't have been frozen in the first place. So maybe he had to rethink that plan.

  
****************************************************************

  
Kordi jolted awake for the fourth time that night. She was halfway out of bed before she realized what she was doing. She was not going to get out of bed just to check on Rowan; that would be a stupid waste of time. He was fine. They were all fine, and they even got paid.  
  
If only she could convince her dreams of that. It was really unfair. Her brain didn't even have the decency to make the dreams identical or at least forgettable. No, instead, Kordi had four bad dreams replaying in her mind. The usual one, the Stormtrooper one, the Graballa one, and the brand new one based on today's events that just joined the nightmare rotation.

Kordi laid back down. Did she want to go back to sleep? No, because she really would breakdown if she had another nightmare. However, yes, because she needed to sleep. It was exhausting being the only owner of the Freemaker brain cells.  
  
Sometimes Kordi felt like she was managing two twelve-year-olds. And in Rowan's defense, he was twelve. Zander though? Zander was older than her, but you would never know it by the way he acted. Like for example, stealing a priceless ship of a rich customer, getting arrested by the Empire, and then destroying that same ship, so they couldn't get paid. Not that she was still mad about that.  
  
In her more generous moments, Kordi would say that Zander was just reckless. Lately though...  
  
There was a reason she knew the carbonite was Zander's fault the moment she saw Rowan.  
  
Zander didn't think anything through. And it was one thing to not think things through when they were little and still had mom and dad to protect them; it was something else entirely when the two of them had to be the adults.  
  
When was Zander going to get that he couldn't just take Rowan to the Lower Ring to hang out with all the criminals and murderers on the Wheel? Probably never.  
  
At the same time, maybe that recklessness wasn't always a bad thing, as much as she hated to admit it. Only Zander would be reckless enough to cut a repulsor generator just to have a chance at saving his brother. Naare had called him mad, but what other choice was there? If they had done nothing, those guys would have gotten away with the reward and Rowan. And then where would they be?  
  
Yep, she definitely wasn't going back to sleep. She also wasn't going to get out of bed and check from Rowan like she was 8 and afraid that he had disappeared. She knew better. But still... If she just happened to go to the office to count the credit box, it would coincidentally take her past Rowan's bedroom. Then, she might as well check on him while she was there, right? That wasn't paranoia; it perfectly reasonable.  
  
*******************************************************  
  
Zander didn't know how long he had been standing there lost in thought when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around, only to see Kordi.  
  
"What are you doing up?" She whispered.  
  
Zander saw the dark circles under her eyes and the tension in her shoulders. He almost said, "the same thing as you," but thought better of it. Kordi didn't like to talk about her nightmares.  
  
So instead, he said, "Nightmare, didn't want to go back to sleep."  
  
Kordi nodded, which told him he was right. If she had been up for any other reason, she would have teased him. Then she peered into Rowan's room, and the tension in her shoulders went away.  
  
"Well, he's still there," she said, half-joking.  
  
"Yeah." There was a lot he could say, but Kordi had just relaxed, so instead, he just joked back, "Do you think they sell protective bubbles somewhere on the Wheel?"  
  
"No, I've looked. Besides, if there is, we might as well get one for you too."  
  
Zander shrugged, "It would be hard for me to make things worse that way." He took a deep breath, "Look, Kordi, about today-"

"Save it. It was an accident, and it's not like Carbonite is permanent." She said that, but Kordi wasn't looking at him. Zander tried again.  
"But if I was more careful-"

"Look, believe me, I'm not happy it happened," Kordi snapped softly, "but if you were more careful, we probably wouldn't have been able to save him at all. Who else would be crazy enough to cut a repulsor generator?"

  
Zander almost smiled, but being crazy enough to do something wasn't exactly a compliment.

  
Kordi sighed and finally met his eyes.

  
"Do I want you to be more careful? Yes, absolutely, but today, it all worked out." Kordi looked back at Rowan, "Besides, it's not like those guys would have left him alone if he wasn't in Carbonite. They would have tried to capture him anyway." She scoffed, "Maybe we really should get a bubble."

The conversation wasn't over, not really, but Kori was done talking about it.

"I'm not sure," Zander said, "Naare might have trouble training him in a bubble."  
  
"Even better," Kordi snorted, then covered her mouth and quickly looked at Rowan. Rowan didn't budge, but Kordi still moved away from the open door, and Zander followed. Even if Zander wanted Rowan within his sight, it would be worse if Rowan woke to find both of his siblings spying on him in the middle of the night. It'd be weird, even for them.

"Are you going back to bed?" Zander asked.

Kordi shook her head.

"Not tired." She said and then yawned. Zander thought about calling her on it, but they weren't fighting for the first time in a week, and it wasn't like he was going to sleep either.

"So what are you going to do? We don't open for another five hours."  
  
Kordi shrugged, "Rebudget the handsome reward. I want to see how far we can make it stretch."  
  
"Can I help?" There was another apology in his words, one that he could only hope she heard.  
  
"Be my guest." It still wasn't forgiveness, but it wasn't rejection either. It was the best he could really hope right now.

Kordi started walking to the office, and Zander followed. She passed him the credit box, and Zander started counting while she messed with the ledger. They worked in comfortable silence until, at some point, they fell asleep. They didn't wake until R0-GR found them the next morning, which was its own kind of victory.


	5. Peril on Kashyyk, or Zander wonders how he ended up the sane one.

It had been a VERY long time since Zander had to be the sane one. Kordi had taken the title years ago, and Zander had happily passed it along. Wait, that came out wrong. He wasn't crazy, despite what some people said. So really, what he meant was that Kordi was the sensible one. 

Whereas he and Rowan might get careless, or overexcited, or sidetracked, or a billion other less than helpful things, Kordi was the one who was always focused on the big picture. How much would this junk sell for? Would they have enough to eat tomorrow? What did they still need to make rent this month?

When their parents had disappeared, Zander had tried to look after it all. He was the oldest and he thought it was his responsibility. Maybe unsurprisingly, that was a bad idea. He had been completely lost. Zander had to admit he couldn't do it on his own, even if he included R0-GR's help. They might have been out the airlock in months, but Kordi always had a sense for when Zander was over his head. 

Zander still remembered coming into the office and finding Kordi pouring over the books he had tried to hide. When he got mad, she burst out with, "Did you turn the lights out in the garage?" Zander stared at her dumbfounded. Kordi shook her head and mumbled something that Zander chose to ignore before rapidly increasing her volume.

"Turn out the lights! Do you realize how much we're spending on electricity?" she said (really shrieked, but that was a small detail).   
Zander was so shocked he actually ran back and did it. When he got back, Kordi had a lot to say about his bookkeeping skills. She kept lecturing him about the budget like it was completely normal for a ten-year-old to give her thirteen-year-old brother financial advice. 

Despite the weirdness, Zander listened. Zander wasn't smart, but he wasn't a complete idiot, and by the end of the night, Kordi was in charge of the budget. She might have been three years younger, but Kordi was better with numbers than he ever would be and they both knew it. Even If Zander wasn't thrilled to make his little sister responsible for their finances, they were desperate. 

So Kordi designed their budget. Then she insisted on just running the books herself, then she wanted to talk to Furlacc whenever they needed an extension, and then talk to potential customers, and then, well, it just grew from there. Kordi took on more and more responsibility and Zander let her because he couldn't stop her. She would've started a war if he tried. A war, that obviously, Kordi would have won. 

Before he knew it, she was the one that kept the Freemaker's running. Zander accepted that it would have happened one way or the other but, sometimes, he wished he tried harder to hold onto the responsibility in the first place. Kordi wouldn't give him any of it back, no matter how much pressure that put on her. All Zander could do was try to help; even if it was just as simple as a quick sentence or a hug. Sometimes it was enough. Today was not one of those days. 

Which brought him back to the original thing he was thinking: it had been a long time since he had to be the voice of reason. Kordi was the calm level headed one, the one who would tell him if the ship would fly once he built it, and maybe most important, the one who knew where to draw the line. Apparently, none of that mattered when credits were involved. 

Zander didn't really blame Kordi: It had been a bad few months, business-wise. Even with the handsome reward, their finances had been stretched to the breaking point. It was no wonder Kordi jumped at the chance for another one, despite all the obvious problems. In true Kordi fashion, she had a solid plan even after they couldn't afford the translation droid. Not a good plan, but a solid one.

Of course, it had gone horribly wrong from the get-go but Kordi's powers of improvisation worked wonders until Roger's head had been torn off. If it hadn't been so heart-stoppingly terrifying, Zander would have been impressed with Rowan facing a crowd of angry Wookies and the wood. Also, if it hadn't resulted in all of them having to orchestrate a prison break because Rowan didn't speak Wookie as well as he thought.   
No matter what he tried, he also couldn't be mad at Rowan for fulfilling his terrifying Force destiny and being a brave Jedi hero. Any more than he could be mad at Kordi for every single reckless action she took. Despite the heart attacks, Kordi flew through a blockade, intimidated a Trandoshan prison guard, and dodged lasers. Even when Zander wanted to give up, Kordi had pushed forward. It was awesome! 

Okay, yeah, the wood had broken, they didn't get paid, and they were still behind on rent, but the Freemakers were heroes! And wasn't that more important?

Yes, but he'd never convince Kordi of that. So instead, he'd go back to comfort her and try to help her with the money any way he could. They'd make it work somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So accidentally, Kordi and Zander both ended up with a chapter on this episode. Originally it was going to be just a chapter per episode, but Zander's portion was done and I wanted to get an update up. Plus, unlike the last chapter, it didn't feel like Kordi and Zander's perspectives intersected as neatly. Ergo, two chapters


	6. Peril on Kashyyk, or Kordi wonders why the universe has it out for the Freemakers

Kordi sat in the office, counting and recounting every credit in the box. The number didn't change. It wasn't enough.

Kordi felt like slamming her head into the credit box. It was almost miraculous how quickly everything went wrong. One minute she had the wood in hand, and they were ready to fly off; the next, Rowan had apparently promised to do a prison break. Because the family needed more problems with the Empire, obviously.

Since she wasn't a fan of torn limbs, Kordi bluffed their way into the prison, they saved the stupid prince, and once again, they were ready to fly off wood in hand. Then Rowan's stupid force powers activated. They had been so close to escaping; Kordi could practically feel those credits in her pocket. But of course, Rowan had to turn back into the firefight/bombing because he "felt a crystal." Against his siblings express orders, of course.

Zander kept telling her that Rowan wasn't a kid anymore. Soon he'd be making his own decisions, which was ludicrous to Kordi even though it logically made sense. Rowan was always going to be her little brother, even if he had force powers. Besides, Freemakers flew together, right?

When she had entertained the thought of Rowan's rebellious phase, she had thought Rowan's rebellion would be sneaking to the lower ring. Instead, he was running headfirst into battlefields. How was she supposed to keep him safe if Rowan wouldn't listen to her? Was it really too much to ask that the decisions didn't involve running into blaster-fire? How many times did Rowan have to run off alone after a kyber saber crystal and almost die before he realized it was a bad idea? Twice so far, and that was two times too many.

And of course, again, Kordi and Zander had to swoop in and save him, which they did. Despite a few heart-stopping moments that would probably be added to her nightmare repertoire, everything was okay. They all made it out in one piece, and she had kept the wood safe. They were at the ship and ready to fly off. Until her brothers were cornered by the imperial officers, and they were out of options.

Kordi had no weapon except the wood. A priceless piece of wood that might have paid rent for the next six months.

It wouldn't be fair to say that she thought about letting her brothers get arrested. If she absolutely had to, she might admit that she was contemplating possible strategies and plans for another prison break, but without a ship and a pilot, that didn't seem to be a real option. She scanned for any other option, but Rowan said the solution like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Zander looked at her with disbelief and spoke with something in his voice that she didn't want to name.

Oh, well, right? She was pretty sure it was a saying, "when all you had was a piece of wood....."

So she did what she had to do. She saved her family, and then stupid wood had the nerve to break. No wood, no money. No Money, out the airlock. After all of that day's nonsense, they had nothing to show for it.

Oh, yes, "They gave the Wookies hope," but what good did hope that do for the Freemakers? Kordi knew already. Nothing. Hope did nothing, especially hope for another planet. How many times did Kordi have to say it? She did not care about the greater good of the galaxy. Call Kordi selfish, but if her family was safe, the rest of the galaxy could burn.

Her brothers didn't feel the same. Why was the only other sentient being in her family with a self-preservation instinct R0-GR? No, her brothers had to believe in the greater good. They didn't understand that Staying alive and together was the greatest good they could ever achieve. No instead, Zander followed Rebel activity way too closely, they were harboring a Jedi, and Rowan was training to be a Jedi. All of which put them in direct conflict with the Empire that had already taken their parents.

It was an unpopular opinion in the Freemaker household, but Kordi could do without the force, kyber crystals, and especially without Naare. The only thing they seemed to be good for was putting Rowan (and subsequently Kordi and Zander) in danger and ruining their profits. Not that they had ever had much profit, but that just made her point stronger. The Freemakers had enough to worry about before galaxy saving came into play.

But Naare hadn't taken no for an answer, Rowan was too excited to listen, and Zander... Well, Zander was Zander. He saw a pretty face and heard the word hero, so he was a-okay with all of it. No matter the danger. In a way, while Naare had filled Rowan's head with nonsense about saving the Galaxy, Zander was the one who believed and supported it. If it were up to Kordi, she would have kicked Naare after Rowan snuck away the first time. But no, Zander kept sticking up for Rowan's Jedi training because it was important or whatever. Would Zander think it was still important when Rowan got himself killed?

Nope. Too far, way too far. Kordi wanted to unthink it because the universe didn't need ideas on how to hurt the Freemaker's. Kordi sighed and looked at the empty credit box. It would be more accurate to say the universe didn't need additional ideas.

So back to the problem at hand. Rent was due tomorrow, and the Freemakers were 400 credits short. The big job had fallen through, the super-secret savings box didn't have 400 credits in it, and the chances of Furlacc giving them an extension were next to nothing.

Right on cue, Zander walked into the office.

"Kordi? Are you feeling better?"

Kordi rolled her eyes.

"Do you have 400 credits?" she snarked.

Zander just rubbed his neck in response.

"Then no, I don't feel better.'

"What about the reward money? From Cloud City?"

"If we had that, do you think I'd be panicking?"

"Maybe, we could sell something tomorrow? Before the day is out?" Zander was just trying to make her feel better and it wasn't working. Kordi let her frustration bubble over.

"Definitely," Kordi said, "And maybe tomorrow Furlacc will reduce our rent, The emperor will step down peacefully, and Naare will leave forever!"

"Okay, okay, sorry, I suggested it." Zander said, surrendering, then he looked over his shoulder before whispering, "You don't really want that last one to happen do you?"

Kordi shrugged. "I've made my opinion quite clear," she said, "We never had problems with Rowan running into battle zones before her."

Zander couldn't really argue that, so he shrugged back, ready to let it go.. unfortunately for him, Kordi wasn't done yet

"Remind me again why we let her train with him?"

Kordi was prepared for Zander to say something about the greater good and Rowan's destiny and blah blah blah.

Instead, Zander said, "Do you honestly think we can stop him?"

Kordi was about to retort back, "Of course," but could they stop him?

If there's anything the last few escapades had proved, Rowan wasn't listening to them. And it wasn't his normal, "can't focus on anything for more than a minute," not listening. It was, "I know you'll be mad, but I have to do this anyway." A not listening where Rowan thought he was being noble.

"It's dangerous," Zander took her silence as an answer, "but if we try to stop it, or kick Naare out, or something like that...."

"Who knows if Rowan would stay here or leave with her?" Kordi finished. And didn't that thought make her heart freeze?

"At least if he's training here, he's with us." Zander said, "And he'll give us a million heart attacks along the way, but we can protect him."

Kordi didn't trust herself to speak. She just nodded a reluctant agreement (because what if they can't) and turned back to the ledger.

After a moment, she had gotten herself together enough to joke, "If only we had protected the wood too."

Zander gave a half-hearted laugh.

"Well, you did! The whole time! But it came to the wood or your brothers. Luckily for me and Rowan, you picked us!" Zander smiled like he was making a joke, "Thank you, by the way!"

Kordi remembered the expression that had flashed on Zander's face and the tone of his voice when she had hesitated.

"Don't be dense. Did you really think I wouldn't?" If her question came out more defensive than she intended, Zander had the grace to not mention it.

"No, I knew you would," Zander said, "didn't doubt you for a minute."

That was more than Kordi could say about herself, but did she really want to talk about it? She'd rather kiss a Sarlec, so for now, she left it at that.

Back to the money problem. Kordi sighed heavily. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Zander, can you grab the yellow notebook and open the back cover?"

He did and read, "Emergency schemes?"

Kordi nodded. "Yep. We need 400 credits somehow. What options did I list there?"

"Sell R0-GR?"

"Pass." The poor Droid already lost his head today, Kordi would hate to think how he'd react to being sold. It was more a joke than anything else. Even though it was on there, she'd never actually do it. Besides, Rowan and Zander would never let her.

"Black market?"

"Don't have anything to sell." Plus, given the recent crackdown, there's always the risk of getting the Empire's attention. And again, with a hidden Jedi and force user brother avoiding the Empire was high on Kordi's list. Although recent events suggested otherwise.

"Jedi mind trick?" Zander looked up, "That's a possibility."

"Cross that one out entirely," Kordi corrected, "Furlacc checked his books and realized we didn't pay last time. We ended up having to pay double."

"Oh, umm, gambling in the lower ring?"

Kordi thought about it.

"What's down there tonight?"

Zander looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

"What?" Kordi snapped.

"Nothing, Zander said quickly, "the usual. Pod racing, cards, there might be a dice game somewhere. Kordi, you aren't serious?"

Kordi just gave a head tilt.

"We need the money."

Zander looked extremely skeptical. So Kordi promised, "Only until we get the 400 credits, then we're out!"

Zander sighed, "I bet we can find something if we go now."

"Not we, just me."

"Kordi-" Zander's voice held a warning.

"You go down there too much. If we win off the wrong person..."

"I don't want you going down there alone."

"Oh, but you can?"

"That's different. I'm not gambling with the criminals on the Wheel."

Kordi admitted he had a point.

"Fine, we'll both go, but once we find something, I need you to stay out of the way."

Zander looked like he wanted to argue more, but when Kordi looked back at him, he just agreed.

They got back later that night, credits in hand. Kordi had hoped Rowan would be in bed, but instead, he was waiting in the garage. He jumped up when he saw them.

"Woah! Where'd all the credits come from? Where have you guys been? You've been gone forever!" Rowan's mouth went a mile a minute, and it took a minute for Kordi to catch up.

"Last minute sale." Kordi lied. "We've made rent." She half-sung that last part of trying to sound like she was just excited and not terrified.

"Ooh! What was the job? Why didn't I know about it? When did they come in?" Rowan's questioning spree finally slowed as his face fell a bit. "Why didn't you take me?"

Kordi had to bite her tongue to avoid saying something like, "because lately every time we take you on an adventure you nearly die and we don't make money." Which was neither true nor fair. Especially not when they were the ones lying to him about where they were all night. Thankfully, Zander started talking before Kordi could say something she'd regret.

"It was really last minute, while you were training. But next time, little brother."

Zander even gave Rowan a hair ruffle, which changed his face back into a beaming smile.

Kordi wanted to enjoy the moment, but it was time to go back to being the responsible older sister.

"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" She asked.

Rowan started to sputter an excuse or two, but it didn't matter. Kordi ushered him off to bed.

The Freemakers had made it another day. They were all alive, safe, and together. Isn't that what really mattered?

...It didn't hurt that they made rent


	7. Crossing Paths, or Kordi considers the benefits of the greater good

When the day started, Kordi thought her biggest challenge was keeping Zander away from Wit Cooper's bike. Was it really too much to ask that the Freemakers go one day without running into the Empire and the Rebellion and all those very stressful things that Kordi wanted to avoid?

She probably couldn't say that after today. Kordi wasn't 100% sure how neutrality worked, but helping one side escape and taking practically no payment seemed to violate it.

What had she been thinking? Before today, if someone had told her that she would help a rebel leader escape the Empire, she would have laughed in their face. If that same poor sap had told her that she would have refused payment for said escape, she would have kicked them out of the shop. Or worst of all, that she was even considering doing it again? Kordi would have laughed them off the Wheel. She was Kordi Freemaker; hadn't she made it clear that she didn't believe in heroics and galaxy saving?

Kordi didn't like to be wrong. Or noble for that matter. It was out of character.

Zander clearly agreed. He cornered her after Leia and Skywalker left.

"Are you feeling okay? You practically gave them that ship." He half-jokingly tried to feel her forehead. Kordi swatted him away.

"I know," Kordi groaned, "I had a sudden bout of nobleness."

"What made that happen?"

And wasn't that a loaded question? The truth was too complicated to unpack at the moment, so she was obviously going to lie. If she wanted the most plausible lie, Kordi could say she had done it because she wanted to repay Leia for saving her at the diner. Zander would call her out on the method of repayment being too much.

If she wanted a lie that she could explain to Zander, Kordi would say that Leia was pretty (which Leia was. She was very pretty. Like so pretty it was unfair.) Zander probably wouldn't buy it. He knew that Kordi didn't lose her head over pretty faces the way Zander did.

If she wanted to act like she had a plan, she'd come up with some half-cooked lie. Something like, "At the rate, the Freemaker's were going (you know with prison breaks, getting arrested, and Jedi thing), they would probably end up with the Rebellion anyway. So she might as well build up some goodwill now." That train of thought was its own mess that she didn't want to deal with, so instead, Kordi just put her head in her hands.

"A moment of weakness," she lied, "It will never happen again."

Zander grinned, "But it felt good, didn't it?"

Kordi swatted at him instead of actually answering. Zander, good-natured as ever, just laughed and walked away. Rowan went to see if Naare was back. Kordi had nothing to do but calculate what their losses were with the ship she gave away and think about why she did so in the first place.

Which led back to the original question: Why did she help them?

Obviously, it had just been for the reward at first. Otherwise, Kordi would have thrown both of them out of the shop without a second thought. And then the Empire was searching their shop, and the Star scavenger took off (with Rowan inside because, of course, he was).

Speaking of which, she had to remember to give Rowan and R0-GR a lecture about not flying the Star Scavenger without permission. Especially not around Imperial officers who were already incredibly suspicious of them. Either way, once that happened, Kordi had to improvise a plan, and there wasn't time to worry about anything but not dying.

Which, to be honest, wasn't that different from every day. However, Kordi preferred to improvise her way into having a plan. She did not like running away with no idea where to go.

It wasn't until they were at the Upper Ring that Kordi could actually breathe long enough to think. By that point, Kordi had learned two facts about Leia: one, she was rich (royalty to be specific), and two, she was from Alderan.

Until she had met Leia, Kordi had always thought Rebels were other poor suckers like the Freemakers who couldn't get ahead no matter what they did. There might be a few noble heroes out there like her brothers that genuinely wanted to make the galaxy better, but Kordi thought most rebels were just looking out for themselves.

Of course, as a great follower of that philosophy, Kordi had no problem with people looking out for themselves. She did have a problem with people pretending they weren't. Like Naare, for example, who talked a big game about the greater good, but clearly were only interested in making things better for themselves. (Kordi still didn't know how finding the kyber saber crystals made things better for Naare, but she would find out.)

Of course, given that Kordi was wrong about the Rebels maybe she should rethink her Naare policy. (Probably not).

So, Leia Organa, one of the leaders of the Rebellion, was rich. Not only was she rich, but she used her money to fight the system that made her rich. That made no sense to Kordi.

Kordi had first chalked it up to being from Aldaran because, well, a planet-wide genocide would make anyone act against their own self-interest. But from the little Leia had said, she worked with the Rebellion even before Alderaan was destroyed. So, not only was Leia using her own money to fund the rebellion; she was doing it after the Empire destroyed her home in retaliation for being a rebel in the first place.

Kordi didn't know how to respond to that. Anyone else would have backed off. Kordi would have backed off, not to give up, but how do you keep going after something like that?

When her parents had disappeared, Kordi didn't know why. Just that one night, they were there, and the next morning, they had flown off, never to return. They left a note saying they had business to take care of and would be back soon.

Kordi still didn't know what happened, not really. None of them did. They could only guess, and over the years, the only conclusion she could come to was that her parents had been involved in Rebel activity and caught. Why else would they go to such efforts to hide what they were doing? Nothing else would have kept them away from her and her brothers, right?

The point was, Kordi wanted to stay out of it because she couldn't bear to lose anyone else. But here was Leia, who had lost everything, lost everyone, and she still was fighting back. Was it too corny to say that she was inspired by Leia's strength? Probably. (But it didn't make it any less true.)

Of course, that didn't mean she was going to join the Rebellion or anything too crazy. But maybe the greater good wasn't as ridiculous as she thought. Kordi wasn't as strong as Leia, but she was tough enough to survive being noble.

For short bursts of time.

Once in a while.

Hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this episode so much. It feels like a turning point for Kordi and then of course for Rowan too. 
> 
> (I might write a short fic for Rowan on this episode, but it won't be part of this story.) 
> 
> Thank you all so much for all your feedback. I'm so caught off guard by the support this fic has received and I'm so glad that people are enjoying it!


	8. Race on Tatooine, or what to do when your brother's mentor turns out to be evil

Something was wrong.

Zander had been too caught up in the high of the day to notice at first. It wasn't every day that he got to Podrace, win the Podrace, and then watch a Jedi kick Hutt butt. Even Kordi was singing Naare's praises.

It was prime blackmail material for next time Kordi wanted to complain about Jedi training. (Although to be fair, she had been doing that less and less...)

But when Zander had looked at Rowan to see his reaction, Rowan was... Well, Zander couldn't put it into words at first. Rowan was smiling, but he wasn't relaxed. He looked like he was waiting for something, but what? They were safe in their shop, no Hutt was after them, Naare was there, why was Rowan still so tense?

Once he noticed how weird Rowan was acting, Zander couldn't stop thinking. Certain things from the past week were clicking in Zander's memories. Rowan had been oddly quiet these past few days. Zander noticed, but he figured Kordi had it handled and didn't think much of it. It was only now that Zander saw that tension wasn't going away.

Instead, Zander saw it in the way Rowan's eyes weren't matching his smile, his unnatural quietness, and his delayed reactions to everything. He was so reactive to everything, so excitable and impulsive that he gave Zander a heart attack every week. To watch Rowan tightly controlling his every reaction was not only completely weird; it was physically painful to witness.

Zander tried to catch Rowan's eye, but Rowan seemed determined to avoid eye contact with everyone. Zander was trying to decide if he should call Rowan out, but Kordi wasn't saying anything. If he had noticed, then Kordi definitely noticed, and if she was waiting, Zander was waiting too.

Once Naare left for the night, Kordi made her move. She crossed her arms and faced Rowan.

"Rowan, fess up."

"Something's going on," Zander added, trying to be helpful, "So, what can we do?"

Rowan looked down.

"Just don't hate me."

Both Zander and Kordi jumped at that. Before Zander could even start to think about what in the galaxy had put that thought in Rowan's head, Rowan pulled out the lightsaber that Naare always carried.

"Uh," Zander said, but Kordi finished the sentence for him.

"Why do you have Naare's lightsaber?"

"I found it in Naare's ship, but-"

"Rowan, you can't just take her stuff!" Rowan deflated and tried to explain, but Kordi wasn't listening. She was about to go off, but something didn't seem right still. Rowan wouldn't have taken Naare's lightsaber just for fun. Well, okay, he might, but the Rowan Zander knew would just start playing with it. Not hide it and ask his family not to hate him.

So Zander put his hand on Kordi's shoulder to try to slow down the inevitable line of questioning. She turned back to look at him, and Zander said, "Let him explain." When she nodded, they both looked back at Rowan.

Rowan looked sheepish all of a sudden.

"It would be easier to show you." He activated the lightsaber, and it was... red? But Naare used a blue lightsaber?

"See?" Rowan said.

"So, she has two lightsabers?" Kordi shook her head, "And one is red?"

Rowan nodded like that answered the question, and Zander would've laughed if he wasn't so confused.

"Pretend for a minute we're not up-to-date on what different lightsaber colors, okay?" Kordi asked, "What does red mean?"

"Oh, red is evil," Rowan said, casually dropping that bombshell and then continuing, "I found it in Naare's ship and then I activated it because I wanted to help, but it was Red and red lightsabers are for Sith, and Sith are like evil Jedi and I thought something was weird ever since I met Luke."

Kordi went to stop Rowan, but Zander nudged her. They had to get the full story, even if it was wrapped under miles of Rowan rambling. Because there had to something that Rowan was missing.  
Naare evil? The same Naare who had saved their lives over and over? The same Naare who faced storm troopers, A Hutt, and bounty hunters to keep them safe? The Naare who believed in Rowan and was training him to be a Jedi was evil? They had to be missing something.

The whole story spilled out of Rowan, and if he was honest, Zander didn't follow all of it. There was a force flower that did something, and Rowan got suspicious (and didn't tell anyone). Then he found the red lightsaber, and the Emperor left a message for Naare.

Rowan was sparse on the exact details of the message (or Zander just wasn't paying attention) but whatever it said, it was enough for Rowan to be completely convinced that Naare was evil.

Rowan finished his story, and the Freemakers just stared at each other. Zander was still trying to figure out that missing piece to prove Naare's innocence when Kordi spoke.

"Is that what you were trying to tell me?" Kordi's voice shook. Zander knew that he was probably the only one in the room who had any faith in Naare. (Double agent? Playing the long game, looking to be free of the Emperor? There has to be something)

Rowan nodded.

"But it just never was the right time," he added, fidgeting.

"Rowan-" Kordi started to speak and stopped. Zander knew she would be a mess later, but in front of Rowan, Kordi would try to pull herself together.

"Do you believe me?" Rowan asked.

"Of course," Kordi immediately said, "I knew there was something off with her." The fact that Kordi cut herself off instead of continuing to rant was more concerning than anything she could have said

Rowan turned to Zander, eyes shining with worry.

"Zander?"

Rowan's puppy dog eyes weren't on purpose, but they were still effective. It made it harder to say no.

"I believe you, Rowan, but I'm confused," Zander admitted, "if Naare is an evil Jedi-"

"Sith," Rowan corrected.

"Sith, then why does she keep saving our lives?"

"To gain our trust obviously," Kordi spoke up, and if she used that tone taking about him, Zander would run the other way. "She needed Rowan to find the crystals and..." 

Kordi couldn't quite finish the sentence, but Zander knew what she meant. The Freemakers were a package deal, and, if even Naare was really evil, she couldn't let Kordi or Zander get killed without alienating Rowan in the process. But still...

"Okay, but if she's a Sith, why did she teach you about the Sith in the first place? It's not like any of us are Jedi experts-"

"Does it matter?" Kordi interrupted, "She's been lying to us the whole time. Every minute we spend here arguing about it is another minute we don't have to make a plan."

That shut Zander up. He still was clinging to hope that they were missing something, but that wasn't what his family needed right now.

"What's the plan?" he asked.

*******************************

After the Freemaker's made a "Plan" (and she used that term very loosely), Kordi sent Rowan to rest before they had to pack up their whole lives into the Star Scavenger.

Zander had gently suggested that they both rest too, but there was no time. They had to leave before Naare came back in the morning. And that meant packing up everything they could fit on the Scavenger, contacting Furlacc about the shop being empty for a while, and doing it all without drawing attention to themselves.

They had to get away before Naare could find out that Rowan knew.

The galaxy had a cruel sense of irony. Kordi just had convinced herself that she was just being paranoid (or even perhaps jealous) about Naare. And the very next day, she learned she had been right all along.

Naare was evil and working with the Empire. She had been lying to Rowan, using him to get the Kyber Saber crystals for the Emperor, all while pretending to be a Jedi.

And the worst part? Zander and Kordi had let her. They had allowed that monster to be near Rowan. When Kordi thought about what could have happened, she couldn't breathe. At that moment, it didn't matter that Kordi had been against it from the beginning, it didn't matter that there was no way she could have known, and it didn't matter that nothing happened. She had failed to keep Rowan safe. If she had listened to her gut and put her foot down as she had wanted in the first place...

Zander's words after Kashyk floated back to her.

"Do you honestly think we can stop him?"

So, if she had put her foot down, Rowan could have run off with Naare. Rowan running off was bad enough, but running off with Naare? The Naare, who they now knew worked for the Empire. The evil Empire that ruled the whole galaxy, made everyone's lives miserable and had no problem hurting/ killing anyone who got in their way. The same Empire that Kordi had spent her whole life avoiding. Naare worked for Emperor himself.

Or maybe even worse, if Rowan didn't go willingly, Naare could have just taken Rowan. And if Zander and Kordi got in the way...

The room spun, and Kordi couldn't breathe. Suddenly, she found herself in her office chair, trying not to cry. They didn't have time for self-pity, but the thought wouldn't leave: Naare could have done anything to them. The only reason that the Freemaker's world hadn't been completely ripped apart was that Naare had decided to lie.

And the worst, the absolutely worst thing was, there was nothing that Kordi could have done to prevent that. Nothing she could have done differently, no action she could have taken, no lie she could have told; it was all out of her control.

Even now that they knew the truth, could they even hope to stop Naare? No, the only thing they could do was get as far away as they could. Kordi still couldn't breathe, but she didn't have any more time to waste. She had a job to do, and that was to get the Freemaker's out in one piece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably have a short part two. I have a lot of thoughts on this episode, it's one of my favorites.


	9. Race on Tatooine, or if Earth exists in this Galaxy, Zander needs to make a visit  to a certain river

Zander only stared at his bed for a minute before realizing that he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. 

How could he? Between Tatooine and the possibility of Naare being evil, there was too much nightmare fuel hanging out in his head to even think about sleeping. Even if that wasn't the case, they were in the process of packing up their entire lives. They didn't exactly have time to relax.

So Zander went out to the garage instead. He froze as he looked at the mountain of junk in the shop. 

What should they take? How much did they need? Would it all even fit in the Star Scavenger? When would they be back?

Zander wondered if they would be back at all, but he dismissed it as soon as the thought appeared. He had to believe they could come back. So, for now, he just started piling the most valuable and the most compact junk in a corner.

If Kordi was here, she would know better what to keep and what to get rid of. But Zander hoped she took his suggestion to get some rest and didn't try to find her. 

Zander had just sorted out everything on the first shelf when Rowan came out.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Zander asked

"Can't sleep, " Rowan said, plopping himself onto a nearby crate.

Zander thought about sending him back to bed, but that wasn't fair.

If Zander couldn't imagine sleeping, he could only imagine how Rowan was feeling. It was his master that they were running from. (Maybe wrongfully so in Zander's opinion.)

So instead, Zander shrugged and said, "Fair enough."

When he turned back to the piles of junk, inspiration struck Zander. He turned to Rowan.

"Do you want to help me?" Rowan nodded and jumped up.

Once Zander explained what to do, he and Rowan worked in eerie silence. Except for the occasional question, Rowan wasn't talking.

Zander didn't like Rowan's silence any more than he had earlier. He thought about trying to start a conversation, but Rowan had a look on his face that Kordi sometimes had. It wasn't a look that Zander liked to see on either of his siblings' faces and seeing that look on Rowan's face activated every instinct that Zander had.

Despite that, past experiences taught him that trying to talk to Kordi when she had that look on her face was a recipe for disaster. Even though Zander doubted that Rowan would ever be half as scary as Kordi, Rowan still deserved the space to work out whatever was running through his brain. Zander had to stew in silence and resist the urge to break the silence.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Rowan spoke up.

"Do you really think Naare isn't evil?"

Zander paused. What did he think? He'd put aside his thoughts earlier in favor of moving the Freemakers along, but he couldn't hide from them forever. 

On the one hand, the evidence was enough to convince Kordi immediately. On the other hand, Kordi really didn't like Naare or Jedi training anyway, so she was probably biased. But on the other, other hand, what Rowan heard sounded bad, like really, really bad. But then again, it was Naare. The extremely beautiful, charming, noble Jedi who had swept into their lives and saved them more times than Zander could count.

"I just don't know Rowan," Zander admitted, "I guess I just don't want to believe it."

"I don't want to believe it either," Rowan snapped, "but I know what I saw. Why don't you believe me?"

Zander was appalled at the question. It's not that he didn't believe Rowan. It was just that he had to be missing something. They all did, because otherwise...

If Naare was evil, what would they do next time they were in over their heads? Zander thought back to Tatooine and Graballa. Without Naare, Zander didn't want to think about what would have happened to them.

If there's one entity in the universe that Zander wanted nothing to do with more than the Empire, it was the Hutts. Zander had never told Kordi, but he had overheard their parents talking once. Dad had been in trouble with a Hutt a long time ago, but still. Everyone knew that Hutts never forgot and never forgave. So when their parents went missing, Zander made assumptions. And now Graballa was after the remaining Freemakers; worse, he was after Rowan specifically. Zander and Kordi would never willingly let anything or anyone take their little brother away from them but it was too easy to imagine it happening. 

Zander didn't even need to imagine; it had nearly happened today. If it hadn't been for Naare-

"Well?" Rowan asked. Zander remembered where he was. 

"I believe you, Rowan, I do," Zander said, "It's just I can't shake the feeling that we're missing something."

"What could we be missing?" Rowan asked.

Evidence that would prove Naare was on their side. Evidence that would prove the Freemakers weren't completely alone in a galaxy that seemed out to get them more and more with each passing day. Evidence that one of the best things in their lives wasn't a complete lie. 

Zander had a feeling that wasn't evidence, so much as blind hope. But looking at Rowan, Zander knew he was just making it worse. His doubt was hurting Rowan. Morning would be here before they knew it. They didn't have time to wait and argue about who was wrong or right. 

"I don't know, Rowan," Zander admitted again, "but it doesn't matter."

"It does," Rowan said, "If I'm wrong..." 

"Than, Naare is just confused for a few weeks, and we clear the wacky misunderstanding up." Zander joked, "It's safer to leave because if you're right..."

Zander couldn't finish the thought, but Rowan started to tear up anyway. 

"Hey," Zander said, ruffling Rowan's hair, "We're going to be fine."

Rowan shook his head.

"But Naare..."

"Naare, Shmaare. We're the Freemakers. As long as we're together, we'll be okay." As he said it, Zander almost believed it himself. Rowan wasn't 100% convinced, but he still gave a small smile. It wasn't a lot, but it was one small victory that Zander could claim on a day that was only bound to get worse.

And worse it did, Kordi came out of the office. One look at her eyes was enough to make Zander want to run over and hug her, but she had that look on her face. It was the "don't talk to me about my feelings, or I'll bite you" look. Zander just had to make a note to check on her later. Roger came out of his oil bath, and Rowan had to reexplain everything. Luckily, Roger was more than willing to believe him and join in packing up the shop. For a moment, Zander actually believed that they could get out without a hitch. 

Hours later and Zander had to admit that packing everything that they might need into the Star Scavenger was a lot harder than he thought it would be. After the third time of repacking to try to fit everything in the ship, Zander was about out of patience.

Then the doorbell rang. The Freemakers had lost track of time. Naare was here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish I could write faster for all of you, but I'm tragically slow. I hope you enjoy this chapter (and Zander's utter denial).


	10. The Test, or Zander is totally fine, promise

There was a long list of things in the galaxy that Zander would be okay with never doing again. Some were things that, just for obvious reasons, would never happen again. For instance, losing his parents. It was high on that list, but he only had one set of parents to lose. So the bright side was, he would never have to live through it again.

On the opposite side of the spectrum were things like putting Roger back together again, which was more like a monthly thing. This time, he had to do it after an unfortunate Varactyl incident, but it was always something.

Roger was also the worst thing in the galaxy to have to fix. Not because he didn't want to fix him; Roger was part of the family. Zander loved him, but Roger also never stopped talking, even after being dismembered. He was the definition of a backseat mechanic in the worst possible way.

Despite being an adopted battle droid, Roger still had that good old Freemaker luck. So anything that could go wrong, would go horribly wrong in their misadventures. In Roger's case, that usually meant having his head torn off. (And in this unfortunate Varactyl incident, his limbs too.)

Even if Roger avoided getting torn limb to limb, he wasn't exactly a fresh new droid. Wear, tear, and repair was just a routine they had to go through, no matter how much Zander would like to avoid it. So whenever Roger fell apart, Zander had to fix him up. He ignored Roger's whining and his own worries that this would be the time Zander couldn't fix him.

(At least it was a lot easier to ignore those worries when they had a literal murderer chasing after them. It tended to put things in perspective.)

Right now, the bigger problem was that fixing Roger was boring. It wasn't like a starship where everything was different each time. Battle droids were designed to be easy to build and rebuild quickly, which was technically a good thing.

It was less good when Zander needed to be distracted so that he didn't think about Naare, or Jedi, or Graballa, or how close they had come to dying today. But on a third moon surrounded by Varactyls, Zander was running low on distractions. He couldn't stop thinking, which he had been actively avoiding since they escaped.

If he said that aloud, Kordi would say, "More like since you were born." And maybe that would get a smile out of Rowan, so maybe, he should find a chance to say it. Not right now since because Kordi was talking to Rowan. Rowan: the one whose master turned out evil and already felt awful even though it wasn't his fault. (It was Zander's.)

Kordi was always better at making Rowan feel better. As much as Zander would kill for a distraction, Rowan was the one they needed to focus on, not Zander. No matter how much Zander was freaking out about letting a monster into their family and couldn't stop thinking about what could've happened and... Zander's thoughts were spiraling. That was Kordi's job. His job was to fix stuff and make his siblings feel better when their lives inevitably went wrong.

Roger made a snide remark about falling apart. Zander grumbled something back, but no matter what he tried to think about, his thoughts kept drifting back to Naare.

Going back to things that Zander would be super cool with never doing again, "chased by a Sith Lord," was very high on the list. Maybe they would get lucky and would be a once in a lifetime occurrence. Unlikely given their present circumstances, but Zander could dream.

He had also dreamed of Naare not being evil which cost them valuable escape time- And oops, he was back there. He had to stop avoiding it.

Naare was evil. Super evil. Like immediately attack her child apprentice (his baby brother), when she gets confronted, kind of evil. So evil, that she made a scary red face that they had definitely seen before, but Zander hadn't done anything about it. Or really even thought about it because he was too blinded by promises of destiny and memories of Jedi stories.

And yes, he admitted it, a pretty face. What was Kordi had said to him once? "You'd walk out the airlock if someone pretty told you to." At the time, he had laughed it off, but now it wasn't funny. It was too real.

Naare was evil the whole time. Zander not only ignored all the warning signs; he dismissed Kordi's concerns too. Zander didn't pretend to be smart, but this was a whole other level. Zander had vouched for Naare, made Kordi agree to Jedi training, and let it continue even after it put them all in danger. And the thought of what could have happened was hanging on the edge of his imagination, just waiting to bubble up and-

"Hey! Watch it!" Roger burst that thought bubble right in time. Zander had gotten so lost in thought that he let the torch drift way too close to Roger's face.

"Sorry," Zander mumbled.

"You should be! I'm a collectible!" Roger said, making Zander chuckle. At least somebody was still feeling normal.

Right then, Roger said a little quieter, "Are you okay?"

"Of course," Zander said automatically because he had to be. This was about Rowan, not him. Roger didn't seem to believe him, but he let it be. Zander kept up the repairs. As soon as Roger was fixed up, they would go face Hondo.

Zander would like to do anything else. (Preferably something that wasn't on the never-do-again list). But he was pretty sure Kordi would be able to talk them out of trouble. She was good at that. It wasn't like they were relying on Zander's piloting- and he was right back where he started.

Zander had always prided himself on being a "Superstar pilot guy."

The day when it really mattered, though? Not so much. When it came right down to it, Zander knew deep down that the Freemakers only got away because Naare held back during their escape.

Naare had never let him near her ship (which made sense in hindsight since that was how Rowan found out the truth in the first place made set). He didn't know the exact specifications of the eclipse fighter. But what he did know was enough to tell him that in a one on one fight, they didn't stand a chance. And Zander could make excuses that the Star scavenger wasn't made for space battles, but it didn't change anything. What was it that Naare had said? They couldn't outrun her, and they couldn't out-gun her.

The Freemakers managed to get away safely, but Zander couldn't count it as a win. If Naare had fired on them directly, well, at least they wouldn't have to worry about Hondo. (Which uhh- maybe was a thought he would keep to himself).

But she didn't. All because she wanted Rowan. Just like Graballa did. Zander felt sick. Just a day ago, he had been grateful for Naare saving them. Now, she was threatening them in the exact same way.

Zander was 1000% done with people threatening to take away his brother. The idea was horrifying enough, but it was made infinitely worse by the creeping feeling of helplessness. Even the Freemaker's powers of improvising wouldn't save them, at least not forever. And it had never been more clear to Zander than the past few days. They couldn't do anything against someone like Naare, like Graballa, or even someone like Hondo?

What would Zander do when he inevitably failed to keep his family safe? He wasn't a coward; he would die to protect his family, but what good was dying with no guarantee that it would be worth it? If Naare or Graballa or whoever captured Rowan anyway without Zander and Kordi still around to rescue him?

Or worse, Rowan decided for them. Rowan was giving Zander heart attacks hourly now because he wouldn't stop charging into danger. His baby brother, who today alone had charged a pirate and jumped in front of angry Varactyls. What if Rowan decided to give himself up to keep Zander and Kordi safe?

Zander shuddered. He had supported Rowan learning to be a Jedi. (And look what a mistake that had been. Naare wouldn't have been near Rowan if he had agreed with Kordi. But then what- no, he couldn't think about that, not right now.) Rowan having a Force destiny was cool at first; it was just like the stories their mom used to tell.

Between carbonite freezing, a Hutt, and now a Sith, Zander was starting to understand that a force destiny was much less fun than the stories said. It was that destiny put his brother in (and the rest of the family with him) a frankly ridiculous amount of danger. Worse, Rowan knew it too. 

So what if next time Naare or whoever had them in a corner, she made the same deal, and this time Rowan took it? How could Zander live with that?

"Are you done yet?" Kordi asked as she and Rowan walked up. Zander examined Roger, thankful for the distraction.

"Almost, just a few more minutes."

"What's the hold-up?"

Zander scoffed, "What's the hurry?"

Kordi shot off a comment, and Zander said something back, falling into their usual bickering. It was all worth it as Zander watched Rowan relax. Nothing was okay, but if pretending it was made Rowan feel better, Zander would pretend until the nerfs came home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this episode so much, but it was hard to find a good moment of calm to let Zander process everything. He just doesn't strike me as introspective as Kordi does, so I hope this isn't too out of character. I hope you all enjoy it. As always, I appreciate all your comments and support. Thank you so much!


	11. The Test, or Kordi wonders why the Force can't pick an adult to fufill destiny

Who else but the Freemakers would flee from an evil Sith lord only to crash straight into the ship of a space pirate? And of course, that same space pirate then required the Freemakers to steal mysterious golden orbs to avoid broken heads. Kordi was able to talk out a deal that also earned them the money to repair the Star Scavenger, which of course was also damaged because they also needed to continue on the mission to save the galaxy.

(The same mission the same evil Sith lord assigned Kordi's little brother to manipulate him into fiding a doomsday artifact. So in Kordi's selfish opinion, needed was a strong word, but the more noble side of her personality that had unfortunately developed knew it was the right one.) 

So the Freemakers went on Hondo's mission (yay...), which Kordi knew was going to be more dangerous than initially appeared. She was proven right by the catch that varactyls guarded the orbs. Varatcyls or no Varactyls, though, the Freemakers still needed to repair their ship. They made a plan that probably would have worked if Kordi hadn't gotten greedy. So the plan failed, they dropped all the orbs, and then to top it off, Kordi and Zander nearly were killed by those varactyls. 

Luckily, Rowan charged in and saved their butts. In the end, maybe it was a good thing that she got greedy given that it turned out they were about to help a space pirate poach babies from their parents. All in all, it was the most Freemaker day they had in a while. (and wasn't that saying something?)

The day's troubles started with Naare. It wasn't even funny to say that Kordi wasn't surprised because of the circumstance. It was confirmation of what they already knew; Naare was evil and they had to get out of her reach so the Frreemakers didn't end up Shishkabobbed or worse. She had immediately tried to attack them, which Kordi suspected would happen. What she hadn't expected was Naare to had attack Rowan first. Kordi had been able to swoop in with a save, but they still only got away by the skin of their teeth. (One more nightmare to add-in).

It was still the worst feeling in the world to know that she had been right the whole time. Her gut had screamed Naare was bad news from day one, but her money had been on crackpot rambler, not evil Sith. 

In all fairness, that was probably because she didn't know what the Sith were and by the time she knew, it was too late. Kordi had even begun to trust her when Rowan found out. He sat on his suspicions for days before he told them the truth. (Or more accurately before she listened long enough to hear them).

Who knows what damage Naare had done by lying and manipulating for weeks? Rowan was shaken and who could blame him? Kordi was supposed to protect him and she let in Naare (unwillingly, but let her in regardless). Not to mention that Naare wasn't above slicing her and Zander up if it got Rowan to cooperate. Or also what Naare could have done-

Kordi had to force herself to take deep breaths. She had already been down this road before and it led nowhere. There was nothing she could do to change the past. It was behind them. (Kind of. It was also probably ahead of them, not that Kordi wanted to think about that.) 

They weren't within Naare's reach at the moment, and yeah sure that could change any moment, but Kordi couldn't do anything about it. So as much as Kordi would love to freak out and panic like she did when Rowan first told them, she had more important things to worry about. Like what they were going to tell Hondo. Or when Zander would finish putting Roger together again. Or how Zander was handling the whole situation. Or why Rowan kept jumping headfirst into danger. Or just Rowan in general.

Speaking of which, Rowan was watching the Varactyls hatch in the mid-morning light. Kordi walked over and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

Rowan jumped but shook his head. He looked lost in thought so Kordi let her own thoughts wander.

Since Rowan told them the truth that Kordi had always known about Naare, the one thought that rang through her head was "Why Rowan?"

Really, it was "Why the Freeamkers?" But that wasn't a new thought. It wasn't exactly a secret that the Freemakers were the unluckiest family in the galaxy. Kordi had known that something in the galaxy had it out for them since she was nine. 

But she thought Rowan was different. (Or maybe she just hoped.) Pre-Naare Rowan was hyperactive, spacy, and accident-prone, yes, but he was also kind, optimistic, and just above all good. He was always looking to help and do the right thing no matter who it was for. And even though sometimes he switched between scaring her half to death and annoying her, Kordi also knew that she'd do anything to keep him safe. 

Pre-Naare Rowan also had the same bad luck as all the other Freemakers, but between Kordi and Zander, they were able to protect him from the worst of it. 

And then they meet Naare, aka the person that Kordi would most like to punch in the face. (Even before they knew she was evil if she was honest)

Of course, Rowan had flocked to Naare. He had always wanted to be a hero and Naare came in promising that he'd be a galaxy saving Jedi. What was he supposed to do? 

(Listen to his older sister maybe, but she had no proof and she had already explored the path where Rown listened to her and she didn't like that scenario either).

So when Naare showed up, Rowan followed her around and hung on her every word, while Kordi just stewed in the bad gut feeling. The truth that she would never admit is that in the weeks between Leia and finding out the truth, Kordi was starting to worry that she was jealous. Rowan had looked up to Naare so much and Kordi just didn't understand it. Weren't Kordi and Zander enough?

So while, yes, some of her animosity had been fueled by gut feeling, mixed with fear that Naare was going to get him killed. (And now she realized that it didn't have to be an accident,) It had also hurt to see how quickly Rowan had looked for Naare's approval. 

It wasn't until today when they were on the star Scavenger after escaping Rowan's face on the Star scavenger that Kordi understood it. Rowan's admiration didn't just come from wanting to be a hero; he needed someone to believe in him.

And that was a bit disturbing to realize. Did Rowan think that Kordi didn't believe in him? Or Zander for that matter? 

Because she did. Kordi knew that Rowan was capable. It's just that he was also clumsy, distractable, excitable, and accident-prone. So most of the time, she wanted him safe and sound and preferably out of danger. It's why his job was to guard the ship or spot the snipe or something else equally safe and... Easy... Oh.

Kordi tried to imagine Zander giving her just the easy tasks. He'd given that up without much of a fight a long time ago, but if he had tried to keep it to himself... Kordi knew how she would react and it wasn't pretty.   
Rowan wasn't her though. (Thank the galaxy, because having to deal with a sibling as stubborn as herself might make Kordi pop a blood vessel) However, just because Rowan was easy-going didn't mean that he wouldn't have felt the same frustration when he was limited. 

Rowan was more observant than Kordi remembered to give him credit for. So Kordi started thinking about every time Kordi brushed Rowan off, made fun of his destiny, or yelled at him for an accident. It all flashed through her mind and, even if Rowan only picked up on half of it, that was still too much. Heck, even two days ago when he tried to tell her about Naare, Kordi brushed him off, and look where that got them?

Had she been damaging Rowan's self-esteem the whole time?

Kordi had to find the right words to apologize, but before she found them Rowan interrupted. 

"Don't take the eggs," Rowan said a little too tensely. Kordi could only blink in surprise. He took her silence as an answer and kept going. 

"It just wouldn't be right," Rowan continued to talk and just didn't stop. She'd be lying if she said she followed it. So instead she thought. 

It wasn't as simple as an apology, was it? Kordi had to rethink her entire approach to her self-appointed role as the responsible older sister. She had always thought it meant keeping Rowan far away from danger, but she couldn't do that anymore. (As much as she wanted to.)

Since Leia, Kordi had been rethinking her stance on heroism and that included Jedi. It wasn't just a crackpot way to get yourself killed. She couldn't help remembering all the stories her mom told: all the good the Jedi had done in the galaxy, all the lives they saved. Could she in good conscience stop Rowan from being able to do the same?

Not that she would ever willingly admit it to him, but Zander had been right from the beginning. Rowan had a Force destiny to fulfill. Kordi didn't have to like it. (Because seriously? Didn't the force know how to pick adults to carry out its will?) But she couldn't stand in Rowan's way anymore. More than anything, what Rowan needed was his siblings to support him and fight with him. (instead of fighting him).

"Kordi?" Roman was still waiting for an answer to his first question and it took a minute for Kordi to catch up, so she said the first half-hearted joke that came to mind. 

"Well, it's not like the orbs are still there for us to take." She said. 

Rowan stiffened and Kordi could have hit herself, looking at all the little varactyl babies snuggling, playing around with their families. It wasn't what she meant to say and it wasn't what Rowan needed to hear. 

But joking was easier than thinking about what the Freemakers almost did to those happy families playing in the valley below. And sure, they didn't know, but still. Without Rowan, first, they would have been varactyl chow, but also Kordi wouldn't give a second thought to running off with the eggs.

And maybe that was the answer to why it was Rowan who had the force powers, the connection with the kyber crystals, and the Force destiny. Rowan charged in between his siblings and angry varactyls, and still took the time to do the right thing, not the easy thing. That's who Rowan was, whether he knew it or not.

Speaking of...

"You were wrong Rowan," Kordi said. She finally had the apology she was looking for. Rowan of course started sputtering again about it being the wrong thing to do and half thought out reassurances. Kordi could only smile at his passion.

"You didn't let me finish," she said, pulling him into a hug, "You were wrong when you said you weren't special. You're the most special kid in the whole galaxy." 

Rowan finally let go of the tension in his face and smiled like they didn't have a million problems facing them just around the corner. Looking at Rowan, Kordi forgot too, if only in the moment of peace that they sat together. 

Whatever would come would come, but they would face it together.Who else but the Freemakers would flee from an evil Sith lord only to crash straight into the ship of a space pirate? And of course, that same space pirate then required the Freemakers to steal mysterious golden orbs to avoid broken heads. Kordi was able to talk out a deal that also earned them the money to repair the Star Scavenger, which of course was also damaged because they also needed to continue on the mission to save the galaxy.

(The same mission the same evil Sith lord assigned Kordi's little brother to manipulate him into fiding a doomsday artifact. So in Kordi's selfish opinion, needed was a strong word, but the more noble side of her personality that had unfortunately developed knew it was the right one.) 

So the Freemakers went on Hondo's mission (yay...), which Kordi knew was going to be more dangerous than initially appeared. She was proven right by the catch that varactyls guarded the orbs. Varatcyls or no Varactyls, though, the Freemakers still needed to repair their ship. They made a plan that probably would have worked if Kordi hadn't gotten greedy. So the plan failed, they dropped all the orbs, and then to top it off, Kordi and Zander nearly were killed by those varactyls. 

Luckily, Rowan charged in and saved their butts. In the end, maybe it was a good thing that she got greedy given that it turned out they were about to help a space pirate poach babies from their parents. All in all, it was the most Freemaker day they had in a while. (and wasn't that saying something?)

The day's troubles started with Naare. It wasn't even funny to say that Kordi wasn't surprised because of the circumstance. It was confirmation of what they already knew; Naare was evil and they had to get out of her reach so the Frreemakers didn't end up Shishkabobbed or worse. She had immediately tried to attack them, which Kordi suspected would happen. What she hadn't expected was Naare to had attack Rowan first. Kordi had been able to swoop in with a save, but they still only got away by the skin of their teeth. (One more nightmare to add-in).

It was still the worst feeling in the world to know that she had been right the whole time. Her gut had screamed Naare was bad news from day one, but her money had been on crackpot rambler, not evil Sith. 

In all fairness, that was probably because she didn't know what the Sith were and by the time she knew, it was too late. Kordi had even begun to trust her when Rowan found out. He sat on his suspicions for days before he told them the truth. (Or more accurately before she listened long enough to hear them).

Who knows what damage Naare had done by lying and manipulating for weeks? Rowan was shaken and who could blame him? Kordi was supposed to protect him and she let in Naare (unwillingly, but let her in regardless). Not to mention that Naare wasn't above slicing her and Zander up if it got Rowan to cooperate. Or also what Naare could have done-

Kordi had to force herself to take deep breaths. She had already been down this road before and it led nowhere. There was nothing she could do to change the past. It was behind them. (Kind of. It was also probably ahead of them, not that Kordi wanted to think about that.) 

They weren't within Naare's reach at the moment, and yeah sure that could change any moment, but Kordi couldn't do anything about it. So as much as Kordi would love to freak out and panic like she did when Rowan first told them, she had more important things to worry about. Like what they were going to tell Hondo. Or when Zander would finish putting Roger together again. Or how Zander was handling the whole situation. Or why Rowan kept jumping headfirst into danger. Or just Rowan in general.

Speaking of which, Rowan was watching the Varactyls hatch in the mid-morning light. Kordi walked over and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

Rowan jumped but shook his head. He looked lost in thought so Kordi let her own thoughts wander.

Since Rowan told them the truth that Kordi had always known about Naare, the one thought that rang through her head was "Why Rowan?"

Really, it was "Why the Freeamkers?" But that wasn't a new thought. It wasn't exactly a secret that the Freemakers were the unluckiest family in the galaxy. Kordi had known that something in the galaxy had it out for them since she was nine. 

But she thought Rowan was different. (Or maybe she just hoped.) Pre-Naare Rowan was hyperactive, spacy, and accident-prone, yes, but he was also kind, optimistic, and just above all good. He was always looking to help and do the right thing no matter who it was for. And even though sometimes he switched between scaring her half to death and annoying her, Kordi also knew that she'd do anything to keep him safe. 

Pre-Naare Rowan also had the same bad luck as all the other Freemakers, but between Kordi and Zander, they were able to protect him from the worst of it. 

And then they meet Naare, aka the person that Kordi would most like to punch in the face. (Even before they knew she was evil if she was honest)

Of course, Rowan had flocked to Naare. He had always wanted to be a hero and Naare came in promising that he'd be a galaxy saving Jedi. What was he supposed to do? 

(Listen to his older sister maybe, but she had no proof and she had already explored the path where Rown listened to her and she didn't like that scenario either).

So when Naare showed up, Rowan followed her around and hung on her every word, while Kordi just stewed in the bad gut feeling. The truth that she would never admit is that in the weeks between Leia and finding out the truth, Kordi was starting to worry that she was jealous. Rowan had looked up to Naare so much and Kordi just didn't understand it. Weren't Kordi and Zander enough?

So while, yes, some of her animosity had been fueled by gut feeling, mixed with fear that Naare was going to get him killed. (And now she realized that it didn't have to be an accident,) It had also hurt to see how quickly Rowan had looked for Naare's approval. 

It wasn't until today when they were on the star Scavenger after escaping Rowan's face on the Star scavenger that Kordi understood it. Rowan's admiration didn't just come from wanting to be a hero; he needed someone to believe in him.

And that was a bit disturbing to realize. Did Rowan think that Kordi didn't believe in him? Or Zander for that matter? 

Because she did. Kordi knew that Rowan was capable. It's just that he was also clumsy, distractable, excitable, and accident-prone. So most of the time, she wanted him safe and sound and preferably out of danger. It's why his job was to guard the ship or spot the snipe or something else equally safe and... Easy... Oh.

Kordi tried to imagine Zander giving her just the easy tasks. He'd given that up without much of a fight a long time ago, but if he had tried to keep it to himself... Kordi knew how she would react and it wasn't pretty.   
Rowan wasn't her though. (Thank the galaxy, because having to deal with a sibling as stubborn as herself might make Kordi pop a blood vessel) However, just because Rowan was easy-going didn't mean that he wouldn't have felt the same frustration when he was limited. 

Rowan was more observant than Kordi remembered to give him credit for. So Kordi started thinking about every time Kordi brushed Rowan off, made fun of his destiny, or yelled at him for an accident. It all flashed through her mind and, even if Rowan only picked up on half of it, that was still too much. Heck, even two days ago when he tried to tell her about Naare, Kordi brushed him off, and look where that got them?

Had she been damaging Rowan's self-esteem the whole time?

Kordi had to find the right words to apologize, but before she found them Rowan interrupted. 

"Don't take the eggs," Rowan said a little too tensely. Kordi could only blink in surprise. He took her silence as an answer and kept going. 

"It just wouldn't be right," Rowan continued to talk and just didn't stop. She'd be lying if she said she followed it. So instead she thought. 

It wasn't as simple as an apology, was it? Kordi had to rethink her entire approach to her self-appointed role as the responsible older sister. She had always thought it meant keeping Rowan far away from danger, but she couldn't do that anymore. (As much as she wanted to.)

Since Leia, Kordi had been rethinking her stance on heroism and that included Jedi. It wasn't just a crackpot way to get yourself killed. She couldn't help remembering all the stories her mom told: all the good the Jedi had done in the galaxy, all the lives they saved. Could she in good conscience stop Rowan from being able to do the same?

Not that she would ever willingly admit it to him, but Zander had been right from the beginning. Rowan had a Force destiny to fulfill. Kordi didn't have to like it. (Because seriously? Didn't the force know how to pick adults to carry out its will?) But she couldn't stand in Rowan's way anymore. More than anything, what Rowan needed was his siblings to support him and fight with him. (instead of fighting him).

"Kordi?" Roman was still waiting for an answer to his first question and it took a minute for Kordi to catch up, so she said the first half-hearted joke that came to mind. 

"Well, it's not like the orbs are still there for us to take." She said. 

Rowan stiffened and Kordi could have hit herself, looking at all the little varactyl babies snuggling, playing around with their families. It wasn't what she meant to say and it wasn't what Rowan needed to hear. 

"You were wrong Rowan," Kordi said. She finally had the apology she was looking for. Rowan of course started sputtering again about it being the wrong thing to do and half thought out reassurances. Kordi could only smile at his passion.

"You didn't let me finish," she said, pulling him into a hug, "You were wrong when you said you weren't special. You're the most special kid in the whole galaxy." 

Rowan finally let go of the tension in his face and smiled like they didn't have a million problems facing them just around the corner. Looking at Rowan, Kordi forgot too, if only in the moment of peace that they sat together. 

Whatever would come would come, but they would face it together, Freemaker style.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, a week late :(
> 
> Mea culpa! I have a self-imposed deadline of an update every two weeks, but this one got away from me. I'm still not sure how I feel about it, but I hope you enjoy!
> 
> I love hearing y'alls thoughts so if you enjoyed it, I hope you can take a few minutes to leave a review. Otherwise, See you next time!


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